Search-Style Display Advertising Platform Aligns with Leading Comparison Shopping Sites PriceGrabber.com and Like.com to Unveil Online Shopping Trends and Opportunities for Retailers

Plasma & LCD televisions, Digital Cameras, and Laptops  Dominate the List for Most Searched Product Categories for Holiday Gift Items of 2009

Palo Alto, Calif. – December 4, 2009 - Permuto (http://permuto.com), a new company bringing the performance and measurability of search engine marketing to display advertising, today announced the launch of its “Active Shopper Report” (http://activeshopperreport.com) revealing key retail trends for the 2009 holiday shopping season. Today’s report is the first in a four-part series and features the top 20 products trending this holiday season from leading shopping comparison sites PriceGrabber.com® and Like.com.

MP3 Players & GPS Devices Top Early Birds’ Wish Lists

Permuto aggregated the top 20 product categories searched for by online shoppers on the Permuto ShopperConnect™ Network, PriceGrabber.com and Like.com in November 2009. The results indicate that consumer electronics and software are at the top of wish lists in the early part of the season:

     1. Plasma & LCD (Top item: Samsung 55” LED TV)
     2. Cameras (Top item: Canon EOS Rebel T1i)
     3. Laptops (Top item: Apple 13.3” MacBook Pro)
     4. GPS (Top item: Garmin Nuvi 255W GPS)
     5. MP3 Players (Top item: Apple iPod Touch 32GB)
     6. Hard Drives (Top item: WD MY Passport 500GB)
     7. Camcorders (Top item: Canon Vixia HF200 SD/SDHC)
     8. Games & Puzzle (Top item: Fisher-Price ’Cars’ Mega-Set)
     9. Consoles & Accessories (Top item: Wii Console)
     10. Women’s Boots (Top item: Ugg Classic Boot)
     11. Printers (Top item: HP OfficeJet  Pro 8500)
     12. Blu-Ray Players (Top item: LG Electronics BD390)
     13. LCD Monitors (Top item: Samsung T240HD 24” Widescreen)
     14. Watches (Top item: Movado Women’s Sports Edition)
     15. Electronic Toys (Top item: Zhu Zhu Pet Hamster)
     16. Desktops (Top item: Apple iMac All-in-one)
     17. Wii Games (Top item: New Super Mario Bros.)
     18. Educational Toys (Top item: ToyMax EyeClops Night Vision)
     19. Dolls (Top item: High School Musical)
     20. Xbox 360 & Accessories (Top item: Xbox 360 Elite Holiday Bundle)

More People Plan to Shop Online This Year

Permuto recently debunked Cyber Monday misconceptions in its “The Myth of Cyber Monday Explained” infographic. Permuto found that an estimated 85 million people shopped on Cyber Monday in 2008.  This number is anticipated to multiply exponentially, as 70% of consumers plan to research and shop online this holiday as compared to 38% last year, according to a PriceGrabber.com holiday survey based on 4,691 online consumers.

“While online shopping is becoming increasingly popular as a convenient way to find great deals, it’s crucial that retailers not enter the space blindly, but rather engage with shoppers in a more relevant, targeted way,” said Andre Leb, PriceGrabber.com’s Senior Director of Business Development.

Survey Says Shoppers Will Wait for Incentives This Holiday

Forrester Research and PriceGrabber.com recently surveyed 291 online retailers about the 2009 holiday season and findings indicated that shoppers will hold off longer for deeper discounts.  In response, 60% of retailers say they plan to give more incentives and promotions (e.g., Buy 1 Get 1 Free, 25% Off, etc.) to drive sales this holiday. PriceGrabber.com also found that 17% of retailers will reduce their inventory so shoppers should be careful not to wait too long for a deal or special offer, and advises them to set a price alert for the item they want.

“We have found that shoppers who search for items without making a purchase or leave items in their shopping carts haven’t given up yet,” says Shaukat Shamim, CEO and co-founder of Permuto. “They are often waiting for the best deal and it’s an incredible opportunity for retailers and advertisers to deliver deals on the actual products they are looking for through our effective display advertising model.”

Throughout the month of December, Permuto will release weekly Active Shopper Reports focused on overall holiday shopping trends, and hone in on the consumer electronics, apparel, and toys retail categories. Additional industry partners will contribute to the series, including luxury brand marketing and web analytics firm Morpheus Media. The Active Shopper Report is Permuto’s most extensive retail trend report to date, with more forecasts and data reporting scheduled for 2010.

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About Permuto

Permuto, Inc. (www.permuto.com) has developed a unique online advertising solution that will greatly increase the value and effectiveness of display advertising, through its ShopperConnect™ Network. Permuto’s technology is certified by TRUSTe and the company is a recognized member of the National Advertising Initiative (NAI). Permuto has an experienced world-class management team formerly from Yahoo!, DoubleClick, Oracle, and Microsoft with leading technology and domain expertise, and was named among “The World’s Most Intriguing Startups” by BusinessWeek. In October 2008, Permuto, Inc. raised $6.05M Series A from Rembrandt Ventures, Onset Ventures, Reid Hoffman, and SoftTech VC.